Bodies found in probe of alleged abduction of 3 Tennessee sisters, mother

By the CNN Wire Staff

Updated 6:17 AM ET, Mon May 7, 2012

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Adam Mayes is suspected in the disappearance of Adrienne, Alexandra and Kyliyah Bain (top), and their mother, Jo Ann.

Story highlights

The bodies were found in Mississippi but haven't been identified, the FBI says

The FBI says the alleged abductor "should be considered armed and dangerous"

3 sisters and their mother were reported missing April 27 in Tennessee, authorities say

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the children and sought help in finding the suspect

Two bodies have been found by investigators probing the disappearance of a Tennessee mother and her three daughters, with authorities pleading Saturday for help in finding their suspected abductor -- a man they described as likely "armed and dangerous."

The FBI, in a press release Saturday, did not say whose bodies were discovered. But the federal agency did identify the man who they believe "is responsible for their disappearance" as Adam Mayes, saying an arrest warrant has been issued for him.

The husband of Jo Ann Bain, 31, reported his wife and the three girls -- 14-year-old Adrienne Bain, 12-year-old Alexandra Bain and 8-year-old Kyliyah Bain -- missing on April 27, according to the FBI. They were last seen in Whiteville, a town of about 4,600 people in western Tennessee.

Authorities "initiated contact early in the investigation" with Mayes, who was "considered a friend of the family," but he fled, the FBI said. The 35-year-old white male -- who has blue eyes and brown hair, weighs about 175 pounds and stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall -- was last seen May 1 in Guntown, Mississippi.

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The two bodies tied to the case were found Friday at residences in Mississippi.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert that day, though it wasn't widely publicized until Saturday.

In it, authorities warned that the three sisters "may be in extreme danger" and that a kidnapping warrant had been issued for Mayes. He had recently cut his own hair and may have done the same to the three children, according to the Amber Alert

"Adam Mayes should be considered armed and dangerous," the FBI said.

The suspect, woman and children may have been en route to Arizona or Mississippi, according to the Amber Alert. Mayes has connections to Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Mayes' arrest and the missing woman and her daughters.